THE HAVANESE WHAT’S SO HARD TO UNDERSTAND?
Kathy Ambler, Ambler Havanese
T he very first paragraph in the Ha- vanese Standard says it all. De- scribes our wonderful breed in a nutshell. So why is it so difficult to understandwhen you actually are in the process of evaluating a dog for show po- tential at home, or evaluating a class of dogs in the show ring? GENERAL APPEARANCE: The Havanese is a small, sturdy dog of immense charm. The native dog of Cuba, he is beloved as a friendly, intel- ligent and playful companion. He is slightly longer than tall, with a long, untrimmed, double coat. The Havanese has a short upper arm with moderate shoulder layback and a straight top line that rises slightly from the withers to the croup. The plumed tail is carried arched forward up over the back. The unique springy gait is a result of the breed’s structure and playful, spirited personality. These characteristics of temperament, coat, structure and gait are essential to type. The Havanese is a small, sturdy dog of immense charm. Well—your version of small and mine may be two different ideas. But the standard goes on to say, the Havanese must not be under 8.5 inches or over 11.5 inches at the with- ers. As a judge, you can wicket if you are unsure. As a breeder, you should know before you take your dog into the ring if it is within the standard. So if your idea of small does not include an 11.5 inch tall dog, then you are not understand- ing the AKC standard. The Havanese breeders who approved this standard, are telling you point blank, small is any- thing between 8.5 and 11.5 inches and we go on to say, our preferred height is 9 to 10.5 inches. Easy enough, right? Not really. Because the standard goes on to
describe the length of body in relation to height and the amount of bone we want our dogs to have. All to help you understand what is meant by small. The standard uses the word “slightly”—the Havanese should be slightly longer than tall. With a rectangular outline. The standard even goes on to describe the rectangle. The length should come from the rib cage, not the loin. The loin is short! When I evaluate puppies, I want my length to be 2/3 from sternum to last rib and 1/3 from last rib to buttock. If you think a dog looks too long, put your finger on the last rib. Stand back. Does it divide the dog directly in half? Then chances are, your eye is right, the dog is longer than we are describing as slightly longer in the standard. (Could also be that the dog looks long because it is actually low on leg, creating an optical illusion). So, now you understand what the standard means by slightly longer than tall and a rectangle. So, what else makes up a small, sturdy Havanese? Bone. The standard calls for moderate bone. The Havanese should never appear coarse or fragile. The Ha- vanese who is 8.5 inches is going to be smaller than the Havanese who is 11.5 inches, but both should have sturdy, moderate bone. That 8.5 inchHavanese should not be fine boned and the 11.5 inch Havanese should not be heavy boned. Remember, this breed is meant to be a family companion for all ages. I would never want to have to tell a fam- ily with small children that my puppies are too fragile for their family! My ideal is approximately 1.25 to 1.5 pounds per inch tall. So as an example, an 8.5 inch Havanese should be about 10 pounds, to as much as 12. An 11.5 inch Havanese could be 14 to 17 pounds and still be
considered small and sturdy. You as breeders can breed to your preference for size, and judges if all else is equal, can also have a preference for size. You can not award a dog who is under or over- sized, fragile or coarse. Always keep in mind that the HCA preference is 9-10.5 inches. You can not award a poor qual- ity, small Havanese over a good quality, larger Havanese just because you prefer small and feel the breed should be small to be in the Toy Group. And yes, I have seen it happen. So let’s move on next to “Immense Charm”. What does this mean and how do you judge it in the show ring? How does the exhibitor show his/her dog’s immense charm? That is easy! It is described under temperament in the standard! Friendly, playful, alert and intelligent, sweet and non quarrel- some. Aggression and shyness should be faulted. So, why are we seeing ag- gressive Havanese in the ring? Why are they being awarded ribbons? The standard says it should be faulted? Now, luckily we see less aggressive Havanese than shy Havanese. The standard also says, shyness should be faulted. Yet I see Havanese with their tails between their legs, crouching away from judges on the table, simply scared to death, be- ing awarded winning ribbons. I am not telling you do not show it—they need to learn that shows are fun and with some youngsters itmay take awhile. But I per- sonally do not care how wonderful your dog is at home, if it is aggressive or shy in the ring, it should never take home a winning ribbon. And no owner, handler or breeder should ever expect one. Just consider it an expensive handling class. The first paragraph of the standard goes on to talk about the coat. Long, >
44 • T op N otch T oys , N ovember 2019
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